Bean slicer



B. l. BUCK BEAN SLICER Nov. 12, 1940.

Filed Dec. 12, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet l Nov. 12, 1940,

BI.BUCK

BEAN SLICER Filed bee. 12, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 B. l. BUCK BEAN SLICERNov. 12, 1940.

Filed Dec. 12, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Nov. 12, 1940. B. 1. BUCK BEANSLICER Filed Dec 12, 1958 4 SheetsSheec 4 Patented Nov. 12, 1940 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE BEAN SLIGER This invention relates to improvementsin bean-slicing machines.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a slicing mechanismwhich will operate upon the beans with maximum efiiciency.

A further object of the invention is to provide a. slicing mechanismwhich will prevent beans conveyed thereto accumulating and jamming atwhat might be termed the entrance to the slicing mechanism. 1

A still further object is to provide a machine in which the beans, whichhave been arranged lengthwise of the cutters as they are advanced towardthe latter, will be maintained in that relationship so as to insuretheir being sliced lengthwise.

Another object is to provide a simplified form of slicing mechanismadjustably mounted with respect to the conveyor, by which the beans aretransported to the slicing instrumentalities.

More specifically, the invention contemplates the provision of anendless traveling conveyor for delivering the beans endwise to a seriesof cutting discs which, together with the cooperating bean-supportingrollers, constitute the bean-slicing devices, these bean-supportingrollers and, preferably, the cutting discs, being rotatable and having aperipheral or surface speed in excess of the speed of the conveyor.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple arrangement forarranging the beans lengthwise of the direction of travel of theconveyor, by which they are carried to the slicing mechanism, said meansbeing readily removable for any desired purpose, and also being of aconstruction or arrangement such as will not interfere with the movementof the beans, in that there will be no tendency for the beans to clog orjam on the conveyor.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certaindetails of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, allas will hereinafter be more fully described, and the novel featuresthereof particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings- Figure l is a side elevation of abean-slicing machine illustrating the preferred embodiment 50 of thepresent invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan View;

Fig. 3 is a rear end elevation, one side portion of the structure onlybeing shown;

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section on the 55 line 4--4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. '7 is a transverse vertical section on the line 'l'! of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 8 is a detail perspective view of one of the members provided forarranging the beans lengthwise of the conveyor.

In the embodiment of the machine illustrated,

rollers I0, ll, journaled in a frame F, support an endless travelingbelt or conveyor [2, and the shaft [3 of roller H carries a sprocket l4connected by sprocket chain I5 to a gear l6 on a shaft lljournaled inthe longitudinal members I 8 of the frame. Shaft ll has mounted thereona sprocket l9 connected by sprocket chain 20 to a sprocket 2! on a shaft22, also journaled in the frame, and this shaft carries a driving pulley23 which is driven by a belt 24 from the shaft 25 20 which, in turn, isactuated by a prime mover, such as a motor, enclosed within a housing 25mounted on the frame members l8. Through this chain of connections thebelt or conveyor I2 is driven from the prime mover.

The beans to be sliced are preferably deposited in a hopper 26, whosebottom may be formed by an endless belt 21 carried by a rollers 28, 28*,on shafts 29, 29 Shaft 29 is provided with a sprocket 30 connected by asprocket chain 3! to a 30 sprocket 32 on shaft I3, so that the belt 2'!is driven in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1. This belt 21 isinclined and is provided with cross slats 33, whereby the beansdeposited in the hopper 26 will be carried upwardly on the belt 27 and,as the latter travels around roller 28*, they will be deposited on thebelt 12. The hopper is preferably adjustable with respect to the beltl2, a lever 34 connected by linkage 35 to the hopperbeing provided forthis purpose.

The end of the upper reach of the belt [2, on which the beans'aredeposited from hopper 25, might be termed the receiving end of the belt,while the point at which the belt travels around the roller 10 might betermed its discharge end or discharge point. At this so-called dischargeendof the belt, the beans are adapted to be transferred from the belt tothe slicing mechanism, which consists essentially of slicing or cuttingdiscs 36 and. bean-supporting members, preferably in the form of knurledmembers 31, the peripheral portions of the discs lying closely to theside faces of the members 31, as more particularly illustrated in Fig;3. The cutting discs 36 are mounted on a shaft 38 journaled in the sidearms of a supplemental frame 39 and said shaft is provided with gear 40meshing with gear 41 on shaft 42, also journaled in supplemental frame39. The knurled bean-supporting surfaces are mounted on this shaft 42.For the purpose of rotating the cutting discs 36 and members 31, one ofthe shafts on which the same are mounted is connected to the primemover. Preferably, shaft 42 is provided with a clutch member in the formof a collar 43 fixed thereon adapted to cooperate with a clutch member44 formed on a sprocket 45 which is connected by a sprocket chain 46 toa sprocket 41 on the shaft 25 driven by the prime mover. Sprocket 45,together with clutch member 44, is loose on the extended end of shaft42, but the clutch members are held in engagement with one another by aspring 48 encircling the extension of said shaft 42. The contactingfaces of the clutch members are formed with detents or ratchet teethwhereby motion will be transmitted from the sprocket 45 to the shaft 42under normal conditions but if, by any chance, there should be atendency of the machine to clog, the resistance to the rotary motion ofshaft 42 willl overcome the tension of spring 48 and result in theclutch member 44 moving circumferentially relatively to the clutchmember 43. In other words, under such conditions or if, for any otherreason, sufiicient resistance is offered to the turning of shaft 42,spring 48 is compressed sufficiently to permit the teeth on clutchmember 44 to ride over the teeth on member 43.

The beans, which are arranged on the conveyor I 2 endwise with respectto the cutting discs, as will be later described, are adapted to passbetween the cutting discs 36 and the knurled supporting members 31, andto avoid the beans being displaced or their arrangement otherwiseaffected as they move from the conveyor to the knives and members 37,the latter are adapted to be driven at a peripheral speed in excess ofthe surface speed of the conveyor I2. It is for this reasonthat theseveral elements of the driving connections for the conveyor l2 and theshafts 38, 42, are formed of substantially the relative sizesillustrated in Fig. 1. No exact ratio of these various elements isrequired, but excellent results have been accomplished when theperipheral speed of the conveyor I2 is approximately one-half that ofthe peripheral speed of the cutting discs 36 and the members 31. In thisconnection, it will be noted that the disposition of the discs 36 issuch that they slightly overhang the conveyor l2 or, at least, to anextent where they will contact the beans before the latter passsufficiently far beyond the roller 10 where they would tend to followthe curvature of the belt assing around said roll. In other words, dueto the curvature of the knurled members 31 and of the belt passingaround roll I 9, there is a depression into which the beans might enterand their disposition lengthwwise of the belt disturbed, if means arenot provided for preventing such action on the part. of the beans. Inthe present instance, this difficulty is overcome primarily by theincreased peripheral speed of the slicing discs, by reason of the factthat, as soon as the beans come into contact with the discs, the higherspeed of the latter causes the beans to be suddenly advanced intoengagement with the knurled supporting memlbers 31. This movement of thebeans occurs very quickly and, by having the slicing discs positionedover the discharge end of the conveyor, as shown, the beans cannotbecome disarranged so far as their disposition lengthwise of the belt isconcerned. Hence, there is no interruption in the operation of themachine from this source and, as a result, maximum output is constantlymaintained In order to permit the slicing elements to be adjustedrelatively to the discharge point of conveyor l2, the supplemental frame39 has its side arms threaded on tubular screw members 49 bolted to themain frame F by bolts 50. The supplemental frame 39 is also providedwith lugs 5| having threaded sockets therein for lag bolts 52 whichproject through brackets 53 on the main frame F. Thus, by relieving thebolts 50, 52, the lower ends of the side arms of the supplemental framemay be moved inwardly or outwardly to adjust the shafts 38, 42, towardand from roller l0 and the surface of the belt carried by that roller.The slicing discs 36 are also adjustable relatively to the belt andknurled supporting members 31 by having the bearings for shaft 38 formedin blocks 54 secured by lag bolts 55 to the supplemental frame. Byrelieving the pressure on these bolts 55, the slicing discs can beadjusted relatively to the members 31, Set screws 56 extending throughthe supplemental frame into engagement with the blocks 54 aid indetermining the positions of said blocks. In order to keep the slicingdiscs clean or clear of particles of beans, brackets 51 are secured tothe upper extremities of the supplemental frame, and

mounted in said brackets is a rod 58 extending shaft 38, while themembers 3'! are in the form of annular shoulders on a sleeve 3'! fast onshaft 42.

It is, of course, essential that the beans be presented endwise withrespect to the cutting discs, in order that they will be slit or slicedlengthwise. For arranging the beans in this fashion on the belt l2, aplurality of resisting devices are positioned on the upper reach of thebelt in such fashion that they are free to oscillate laterally of thebelt, but without danger of the beans clogging between juxtaposedmembers. Specifically, these positioning means comprise a plurality ofV-shaped strips of metal arranged in rows trans versely of the belt andadapted to rest edgewise on the belt. The positioning members 69 at thesides of the belt are fastened to the side walls 6| between which thebelt l2 travels. These side walls 6| are mounted on the frame F and, inconjunction with the belt l2, constitute substantially a trough alongwhich the beans are conveyed by the belt. The intermediate positioningmembers 62 are held in place lengthwise of the belt by pins 63 thatextend downwardly through cross-members 64 positioned above the belt. If

desired, the cross-members 64 may be connected iency, particularly themembers 60 which are fast at the sides of the belt. However, theintermediate members 62 merely loosely encircle the pins 63 so that theyare free to oscillate transversely of the belt. Thus, there is lesslikelihood of the beans jamming or clogging between two adjacentmembers. If desired, means may be provided for limiting this oscillatorymotion of the members 62. For instance, where V-shaped members are used,as shown, additional pins 66 may be provided in certain of thecross-members 64, said pins being located between the free ends of themembers 82 so as to engage one or the other side of the member,depending upon the direction in which it isoscillated. This particularform of positioning members is furthermore advantageous in that theirremoval for replacement or other purposes may be readily accomplished.

The construction of the machine is exceedingly simple, consisting of acomparatively small number of parts, all of which are of rather sturdyconstruction. Notwithstanding its simplicity, it operates veryefficiently, particularly by reason of the fact that the beans arerapidly advanced at the moment they come into engagement with theslicing instrumentalities, as compared with their normal rate ofmovement while supported solely on the conveyor belt it.

What I claim is:

1. In a bean-slicing machine having a traveling conveyor, a bean-slicingmechanism comprising a traveling bean-supporting surface spaced beyondone end of said conveyor onto which the beans are fed from saidconveyor, and rotary slicing elements for slicing beans on saidsupporting surface, said slicing elements being positioned adjacent saidend of the conveyor and overlying the same to engage beans on thelatter, the peripheral speed of said elements being greater than 0 thesurface speed of said conveyor whereby the beyond one end of saidconveyor onto which the beans are fed from the conveyor, and rotarycutting discs disposed edgewise with respect to the end of said conveyorfor slicing beans on said supporting surface, said discs beingpositioned to overlie said conveyor and engage beans on the conveyoradjacent said end of the conveyor and the peripheral speed of said discsbeing greater than the surface speed of said conveyor whereby thefeeding movement of beans from the conveyor to said bean-supportingsurface is accelerated by the cutting discs impinging against them.

3. In a bean-slicing machine having a traveling conveyor, a bean-slicingmechanism comprising a plurality of rotary circular bean-supportingmembers spaced from the discharge end of said conveyor and onto whichthe beans are fed from the conveyor, rotary cutting discs for slicingbeans on said supporting members, said discs being positioned adjacentsaid end of the conveyor and overlying the same to engage beans on thelatter, and means for rotating said discs and supporting members at aperipheral speed greater than the surface speed of said conveyor wherebythe discs impinging against beans on the conveyor will accelerate thefeeding thereof from the conveyor onto said supporting members.

4. In a bean-slicing machine having a conveyor belt, a pair of shaftsdisposed transversely of said belt at a point spaced from the dischargeend of said belt, cutting discs fixed on one of said shafts andprojecting over said belt in position for their peripheries to impingeagainst beans on the belt, bean-supporting surfaces fixed on the othershaft and to which the beans are fed from said belt, said supportingsurfaces cooperating with said cutting discs in the slicing of thebeans, a prime mover, and driving connections between said mover andsaid belt and shafts, respectively, said cutting discs and supportingsurfaces having a peripheral speed greater than the surface speed of thebelt whereby the cutting discs impinging against beans on the belt willaccelerate the movement of the beans from the belt onto said supportingsurfaces.

BENJAMIN I. BUCK.

